O'Farrell makes way for B-triples to hit the Hume

B-Triple trucks like this one will be getting a trial run on the Hume Highway under the NSW government's plan.

Families driving the Hume Highway between Sydney and Melbourne will start to share the road with B-triple trucks - the O'Farrell government is preparing for a trial of the 35-metre road giants.

As well, amid a raft of proposals to make it easier to move freight across NSW, the trucking industry is pushing to allow B-triples on the Pacific Highway between Sydney and Brisbane, but at this stage the government is resisting.

But the government is considering clearing some major Sydney streets of parking to make it easier for trucks. These include King Georges Road in the city's south-west and Botany Road in the inner south.

Stripping Botany Road of parking would be fiercely resisted because it has a large residential population.

''I hope that isn't going to happen,'' said businesswoman Frederic Caillon, who owns Croquembouche Patisserie on Botany Road with her husband. ''That would be dreadful, that would be really bad.''

The trial of B-triples on the Hume Highway is set to start once a bypass at Holbrook, about halfway between Sydney and Melbourne, is finished in the middle of next year and other works, such as larger truck stops, are built.

According to the trucking industry and the government, the advantage of B-triple trucks, which comprise three semi-trailers behind the truck's prime mover or cab, is they carry more goods than standard semi-trailers or B-doubles.

This means potentially fewer trucks on the road with B-triples, which are more than seven times the length of a Holden Commodore.

''There are enormous advantages for allowing these vehicles on the Hume once the Holbrook bypass is complete,'' the communications manager of the Australian Trucking Association, Bill McKinley, said.

B-triples tended to be newer than smaller vehicles, and were fitted with safety features such as a blind spot radar. ''We have an excellent understanding of how they handle,'' Mr McKinley said. ''The safety and productivity case for bringing them in is compelling.''

The NSW manager at the Australian Trucking Association, Jodie Broadbent, said the industry had started discussions with Roads and Maritime Services about a trial of B-triples on the Pacific Highway.

They were ''still very early stages, it could be two or three years before we get anywhere near to doing anything like that''.

A spokeswoman for the Roads Minister, Duncan Gay, said the government was looking at a trial only on the Hume Highway, not on city streets or on the Pacific Highway.

She said it was unlikely a trial could begin next year.

''Allowing [high-productivity vehicles] on the Hume Highway between Sydney and Melbourne could cut the number of freight trucks needed to service the growing road freight task,'' she said.

''On initial estimates, this could result in almost a million fewer B-double-equivalent trips over a 30-year period.''

The government's draft freight strategy also revealed it was considering reviewing parking in major roads used by a lot of trucks.

''For example, arterial roads, including sections of King Georges Road and Botany Road, often allow parking,'' the strategy said. ''This not only eliminates the use of the kerbside lane, but also slows traffic in the adjacent lane.''

Mr Gay's spokeswoman would not say if other roads were also open for review, with a final strategy to be released next year.

Labor's roads spokesman, Ryan Park, said he was not concerned about a B-triple trial on the Hume Highway, but would be worried about where they were allowed to go in Sydney. ''They're obviously not suitable for suburban roads.''

The Greens transport spokeswoman, Cate Faehrmann, said the trial would lead to bigger crashes.